The papers primarily document Senator Proxmire's career from 1945 through 1995 and they divide into two series: PRE-SENATORIAL PAPERS, 1945-1957, and SENATORIAL PAPERS, 1957-1995. The second series includes several videotapes dating from after Proxmire left the Senate, but they have been arranged with the political papers because they primarily concern his career and reputation as a legislator. There are virtually no true private papers in the collection.

History of the Collection

The Proxmire Papers are an incomplete and, consequently, disappointing political collection. Researchers seeking to understand the content of the collection will be aided by a brief history. The Historical Society contacted the senator soon after his election victory in 1957, and, at that time, Senator Proxmire agreed to donate his papers, although he specified that the collection be closed during his active career. During the early 1960s, the Historical Society received a few boxes from Washington which consisted primarily of his early writings; pre-1958 campaign files; papers as a one-term Wisconsin assemblyman; recordings of his radio program, Union Labor News; and other pre-Senatorial papers. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, no papers were accessioned, and the Archives had little contact with Proxmire's office. Internal evidence suggests that office practices changed dramatically during this period. Stressed by the growing pressure of daily business and a relatively small staff with which to meet the challenge, the first file system collapsed. Perhaps as a consequence, case files and constituent correspondence which had previously been saved and transferred to the Federal Record Center, were then determined to be confidential and discarded after closure. At the same time, responsibility for file management shifted to individual staff members, each of whom maintained a separate system with little oversight.

During the late 1970s, some staff began transferring portions of their files to the Historical Society. These accessions were numerous, but the size of individual accessions was generally small, and the contents often routine and without identifying context. At the same time, Proxmire's access restriction and the total number of accessions persuaded the archival staff that detailed rearrangement and analysis of the papers should wait until the collection was complete. Individual accessions were simply logged into the Archives' bibliographic system as received. Nevertheless, the archives staff was conscious that much of the material being received was of limited historical value. To improve the quality of the historical documentation being accessioned several archivists visited Proxmire's office during the early 1980s. John Fleckner's report on his visit in 1982 (now in the Proxmire Case File) contains important and useful insights into the operation of the senator's office at that time. He learned that legislative aides weeded their inactive files when space became an issue, retaining only what they regarded as core documentation. Fleckner also identified some types of historical documentation that should be saved and suggested changes in office practices to accomplish that goal. Unfortunately, this assessment coincided with budget cuts at the Historical Society, and during the following years the Archives was unable to offer ongoing guidance to the senator's staff. Historical concerns apparently continued as a low priority, and record-keeping practices appear to have changed little as a result of the archivists' suggestions. After 1982, the Archives received no additional accessions until the senator announced that he would not seek reelection in 1987. During the months following the announcement, the Historical Society was unable to send an archivist to Washington, D.C. to facilitate the transfer of historical papers. At the same time, some members of Proxmire's staff moved on to other employment, some probably discarding their files; others may have taken their files with them. In 1988, the Archives began to receive the material that remained, approximately 400 cubic feet. Included among the new material were newsletters and press releases, speeches and broadcast spots, the early case files and correspondence from the Federal Record Center, electronic correspondence, and files from staffers Mort Schwartz, Ron Tammen, Tom Vandervort, and Richard Wegman, and from Milwaukee aide Fred Dupperault.

Taken together, however, the collection is disappointing, and many aspects of Proxmire's career are under-represented. For example, there is no group of files specifically relating to Proxmire's important committee work. For his early years in the Senate, there are no working issue or legislative files, although there are extensive files of constituent correspondence and case work. For the 1980s, there are few papers of any kind. The exception is six reels of computer tape from the Senate Computer Center that contain outgoing correspondence and other papers for the years 1987-1988. Because no equipment available to the Historical Society could open the computer files, the tapes have been stored as an unprocessed accession. An inventory to the tape contents provided by the senator's office is filed in Box 211.

Arrangement

To the degree possible, the collection has been arranged to reflect its original order. The PRE-SENATORIAL PAPERS are arranged chronologically by year. They comprise about 5 percent of the collection. The SENATORIAL PAPERS divide into eight categories: Personal and Biographical Papers, Correspondence, Staff Papers, Speeches and Writings, Press and Public Relations, Photographs, Case Files, and Subject Files. A narrative description of the collection follows.

The PRE-SENATORIAL PAPERS span the period 1945-1957 and consist of correspondence, notes, writings, campaign materials, photographs, and sound recordings. They comprise Box 1-7 of the materials with call number Mss 738 as well as call numbers PH 2334 (5) and Audio 1159A. The files are arranged by year or by general chronological period. Except for scattered items, 1945-1949, this section entirely concerns Proxmire's political life in Wisconsin. However, even for this aspect of his career, the documentation is far from complete. The earliest papers consist of a World War II CIC training manual with notes in Proxmire's hand, and notes and teaching material for his political science instructorship at Harvard. Also of special note are responses to his 1946 inquiry regarding Presidential clearance of Cabinet officers' statements. Included are letters from Elmer Davis, William Fulbright, Herbert Hoover, Harold Ickes, Joseph P. Kennedy, Walter Lippman, Robert McCormick, Drew Pearson, Henry Wallace, and Sumner Welles. Also of importance for this period are the wire recordings and annotated radio scripts for his commentary for Union Labor News. On this 15-minute program Proxmire and his wife candidly discussed state, local, and national politics and labor issues.

Proxmire's 1950 Wisconsin Assembly campaign is documented by handwritten notes and statistics, although there are more extensive notes on proposed legislation, correspondence, and background materials pertaining to his single term in the legislature. Information on the 1952 gubernatorial campaign seems to confirm Proxmire's reputation as a Democratic Organizing Committee outsider, as there are few letters from the party leadership. Notable correspondents include Gerald T. Flynn, Lester Johnson, Frank Nikolay, Henry Reuss, Adlai Stevenson, and Carl Thompson. Also part of the documentation about this campaign are examples of literature, press releases, and speeches. Some of the publicity is annotated in Proxmire's own hand. The 1954 correspondence is a well-organized alphabetical file suggesting the better-organized nature of the 1954 campaign. This file, however, contains little information on policy and planning, although there are some letters to and from the party leadership. Also present are advertising and publicity files and congressional responses to a letter (which is not in the papers), in which Proxmire analyzed the meaning of the 1954 Wisconsin farm vote.

The 1955 file is fragmentary, but it confirms the fact that Proxmire never ceased campaigning between elections. Included are off-year press releases, information on an effort perceived by Proxmire as an attempt to keep him off the air, and correspondence concerning his work against party endorsement and a state sales tax. Opposition to McCarthy is represented by his article, “The Fight to be McCarthy's Executioner.”

The 1956 campaign correspondence is largely that of campaign chair William Foster, and it chiefly concerns finances and day-to-day details rather than policy and planning. Once again there are files of campaign literature, press releases, advertising, and financial statements. The 1957 Senatorial campaign is primarily documented by reports from various supporters around the state. For the most part these correspondents were not in leadership positions, although there are letters from Phileo Nash and Horace Wilkie (in which he cautioned Proxmire against running again). Documentation about campaign planning and strategy is largely missing, although there is an extensive file of statistics and vote analyses and some correspondence (including letters from Hubert Humphrey and Mike Mansfield) and research materials.

Within the SENATORIAL PAPERS series, biographical information about Proxmire has been drawn together for researcher convenience into an initial section entitled Personal and Biographical Papers (Box 206-207). The file contains brief biographical resources including several about which Proxmire commented or to which he added information. Additional biographical information may be found scrapbooks and in an extensive clipping file maintained by his staff. They provide perhaps the most complete documentation of Proxmire's career in the collection. The personal files in this section concern personal financial matters that were handled in Proxmire's office rather than at home and also include some estate files of his father, Dr. Theodore Proxmire. Also present are files of Ellen Proxmire, who was an active partner in her husband's career.

The Correspondence section contains remnants of various office filing systems: early constituent correspondence arranged alphabetically by subject, 1957-1959 (Box 8-12); general correspondence consisting primarily of outgoing letters arranged alphabetically by name and then into chronological time periods, 1957 through 1967 (Box 12-75); early form letters arranged by subject, 1959-1960 (Box 81-83); and “robo” constituent correspondence dating from the late 1970s (Box 83-94). Of special note in the early subject files is the public response to Proxmire's challenge to the leadership style of Lyndon B. Johnson. The general correspondence section consists of outgoing carbons. These files appear comprehensive from 1958 through 1962, but gradually less so until 1967 when the office began routinely discarding correspondence of this type. For the period of its existence, the general correspondence file serves as a comprehensive name index.

Despite the overall lack of documentation in the collection, the robo files, as received in the Archives, actually contained excessive documentation: extensive and sometimes orchestrated constituent letters concerning legislation such as abortion, taxes, and energy and the environment. This section has been weeded based on content, and redundant correspondence and form letters removed. In 1979 Proxmire's office began discarding all of the incoming legislative letters, although a regular report of the number of letters received on each subject was compiled. Examples of the senator's outgoing robo letters consist of overlapping chronological, staff author, and subject files. Together, the three file categories present good documentation of this expression of Proxmire's views. The correspondence section also includes a file entitled "final" correspondence (letters apparently saved because they were never incorporated into files that were ultimately destroyed) (Box 76-80) and yellow carbon letters designated as personal acknowledgements of letters from prominent individuals (Box 80-81).

The Staff Files are arranged alphabetically by staff name and comprise Box 93B, 95-146, and 207. Although some individuals are represented by only a few folders, others such as senior staff members Howard Shuman, Ron Tammen, Tom Vandervort, and Richard Wegman are extensive, and they suggest the degree of responsibility Proxmire placed on his staff. The staff files also reflect the range of Proxmire's interests, and they are the real strength of the collection. The memoranda prepared for the senator's information and review are the best documentation about the senator's decision making in the collection.

The files of the staff with subject or functional responsibilities provide documentation on such Proxmire interests as the fairness doctrine (in the files of press aide Carl Eifert), ratification of the Genocide Treaty (Larry Patton), the oil depletion allowance (Martin Lobel), files on the Glen Elder dam (Frank Siverts), extensive information on military appropriations such as the B-1 bomber, NASA, SALT II, and the SST (Ron Tammen), and housing and Great Lakes shipping (Tom Vandervort). The files of Richard Wegman contain further information on Great Lakes shipping and on the defeat of the SST. Additionally, the files of senior administrative assistant Howard Shuman contain drafts of statements, speeches, and books; many analytical memoranda; and subject files on the regulation of vitamins and other topics. As received, some staff files contained abundant quantities of background information that is readily available elsewhere such as newspaper clippings; this material has been weeded based on availability and evidence of staff use. Robert G. Lewis, who served as Proxmire's administrative assistant during his first years in office, is represented in this collection by a few folders, although further information about his association with the senator, as well as his subsequent governmental career, can be found in Lewis' own papers in the Archives. Tom Pattison, who served as a home secretary, is represented in a separate collection of transcribed oral history interviews that include information on his Proxmire years. (See Audio 572A and M76-303 for Tom Pattison interviews).

The Speeches and Writings in the papers are also disappointing. For non-legislative public appearances, which were numerous, Proxmire generally spoke from an outline rather than a prepared text. These outlines, many written in the senator's own hand, are included in the collection, however. There are also no floor files in the collection, although researchers can find the complete printed record of Proxmire's statements in the Congressional Record, which is available in the Historical Society library. The collection also includes published and/or transcribed interviews and a few recorded speeches, but only one of these (his 1970 appearance on Face the Nation) date from his years in the Senate. Of Proxmire's published books, the collection includes printed volumes and clipped reviews for Can Small Business Survive(1964), Uncle Sam, Last of the Big Time Spenders (1972), and You Can Do It. Howard Shuman's files contain drafts for Uncle Sam and Report from the Wasteland (1970). Published copies of Report from the Wasteland and The Fleecing of America (1980) are available in the Historical Society library, as is Ellen Proxmire's One Foot in Washington, the Perilous Life of a Senator's Wife. This section of the collection includes a file of printed articles and shorter writings written by the senator, but as there is no bibliography, no statement can be made about its completeness. Speeches and Writings comprise Box 146-153 as well as call number Audio 609A.

Proxmire's public relations activities, however, are well represented in the Press and Public Relations section. These materials range from the previously mentioned newspaper clippings to complete files of newsletters and press releases. The press releases, which are unusually extensive when compared to other legislators, are a fundamental source for studying Proxmire's views and accomplishments. From the very beginning of his tenure in the Senate Proxmire also made exceptional use of the broadcast media, a lesson perhaps learned during his Union Labor News years. The evidence of the use of the media is present in the form of Edison Voicewriter dictation discs that were distributed to Wisconsin radio and television stations for broadcast, and in film dating from 1957-1958. Proxmire's radio programs included many prominent political leaders as guests during the 1960s. Because of their unusual format, prior arrangements must be made to hear the Edison dictation discs and the Union Labor News wire recordings. The films, originally 72 individual reels spliced together as compilation reels, include several types of broadcasts for home consumption: brief spots of Proxmire alone primarily commenting on legislation he introduced and longer “Report from Washington” programs that were broadcast by WKOW radio and television. The broadcast venue for the spots is unknown. The format for the report program generally included Proxmire, aides Roland Day and Robert G. Lewis, University of Wisconsin Professor Ralph Hewitt, and on one occasion, Ellen Proxmire. The staff members generally read letters from constituents or asked questions on topics generally concerning legislation that Proxmire introduced: dairy price supports, federal aid to education, unemployment, and Social Security. Senator Estes Kefauver appears on one program. These films cover only 1957 and 1958 and although undated their compiled order probably approximates chronological order. The Press and Public Relations section also includes spot ads from the 1958, 1964, and 1970 campaigns; the textual material for all of the campaigns is filed with the Subject Files.

The Photographs in the collection (call numbers PH 3777, PH 2334 (5), and PH 3823) also derive primarily from Proxmire's focus on public relations, and many appear to have been taken for use in newsletters or campaign literature or as presentation souvenirs to office visitors. Included are formal portraits and informal photographs of Proxmire posed with constituents visiting the Capitol and prominent political leaders, as well as participating in photo opportunities such as parades, work days in Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin State Fair. Much like the absence of paper documentation about the 1960s, the only photographs from the 1980s in the collection were donated by the Senate Photography Studio in 1995. They document office visitors and the senator and his staff at committee hearings.

From the early Case Files , 1957-1969, that were stored in the Federal Record Center, the Archives has retained a sample as evidence of the great attention Proxmire placed on that kind of constituent service. In addition to their evidential importance, many case files also contain valuable information about Wisconsin communities, businesses, and public works projects. The files on government procurement in Wisconsin, a subject about which Proxmire was sometimes criticized, are of considerable interest for they provide information on federal contracting in Wisconsin that is difficult to find elsewhere. The case files concerning the Post Office Department are interesting for their documentation of the manner in which post office appointments were made in Wisconsin after the Democratic Party regained this authority in the 1960 election.

The majority of the case files are arranged alphabetically by agency name (Box 168-187), as they were in Proxmire's office, but there is a separate file, 1957-1958, for senior legislative aide Roland Day (later chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court) (Box 187-188), and an integrated file (Box 188-189), created in the Archives, concerning Wisconsin businesses, individuals, and topics (such as Truax Air Force Base) that were represented in the files of multiple agencies.

There are two Subject Files in the SENATORIAL PAPERS. The first is a remnant of a classified file that was not used after the early 1960s (Box 189-191). The second is an artificial file created in the Archives for folders - and even some individual items - received without file context (Box 192-206 and 208-211). The early classified file is arranged by file number and it contains important documentation on Proxmire's participation in industrial development in Wisconsin and on the Badger Ordnance plant.

The artificial subject files document a variety of topics ranging from abortion, which Proxmire strongly opposed, to his work days in Wisconsin. This section includes personal items such as awards and letters received when he announced his retirement, as well as housekeeping records such as bills pertaining to office operations, invitations and schedules, and master lists of bills and votes. There is further information here about the Golden Fleece awards.

Series: Pre-Senatorial Papers

1945

Box
2

Folder
1-2

CIC training manual, with annotations and notes

1946

Box
2

Folder
3

“The Role of the Press in American Politics”

Box
1

Economic Theory teaching notes

1947

Box
2

Folder
4-5

“Clearance of Cabinet Officers' Public Statements,” and correspondence

Box
2

Folder
6

Lecture notes

Box
3

Folder
1

Research and teaching fragments

1948

Box
3

Folder
2

“Corporation Income Tax and Private Investment”

Box
3

Folder
3

Miscellaneous correspondence

Box
3

Folder
4

Harvard era writings

1949

Box
3

Folder
5

Correspondence, “Tax Program of the Democratic Party for Wisconsin,” and interview notes on Wisconsin lobbyists

“LBJ: A Remembrance,” 1990 September 11Scope and Content Note: Biographical film by Charles Guggenheim for WETA-TV hosted by Paul Duke, with a discussion in which Proxmire, George Reedy, and others briefly remember and assess LBJ.

VHA 563

Watch on Washington, “How Safe's Our Money,” 1991 JuneScope and Content Note: Proxmire appears briefly in program with Alan Murray that includes current members of the Banking Committee.

VHA 564

America: Personal Conversations with Dennis Wholey, WHMM-TV interview with Proxmire, 1993 December 20Scope and Content Note: Topics include national debt, fitness, life in the Senate, and “Your Joy Ride to Health.”

VHA 565

“The Fleecing of America,” 1995 May 25Scope and Content Note: Brief comments by Proxmire about wasteful congressional junkets for NBC series with Lisa Myers.

VHA 566

“America's Talking,” 1995 July 4Scope and Content Note: TV program with Proxmire about government waste. Includes biographical clips and presentation of Great American Award. (Award in Box 208)

VHA 567

Investiture of Roland Day as chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1995 August 1Scope and Content Note: Day mentions his experiences in Proxmire's office. (Proxmire does not appear.)

VHA 568

Kimball Distinguished Lecture at University of South Carolina, undatedScope and Content Note: Proxmire discusses national economic problems.

Subseries: PhotographsAlternate Format: Select images, have been digitized and are available online. They can be accessed by following the link for "Browse All Items" on the online collection page and then narrowing the search by type in the drop down box: Photographs.